Watercolor in the Rain
by Kiryn
Summary: Drip, drip, drip, the rain falls down, we're just a watercolor in the rain. In the morning light, there'll be nothing at all, that's what'll be left of us. Wishing-Fire's Memories Challenge.
1. Curiosity

**A/N: So, here's the start of a new challenge, because my brain is fickle like that. This is Wishing-Fire's Memories challenge, in which you had to pick a couple, and write 150-600 words per theme. I'm a fair ways along in this challenge, and I expect to complete it soon. This is my main writing focus of the moment, but after it's complete, expect a flurry of _Mangoes and Limes_ updates at the least, and possibly some _Beats in Time_ as well. _Don't Get Caught in Foreign Towers_, meanwhile, is being outlined. So...yeah, I think that's about where things stand at the moment.**

**Pairings: Olette/Naminé, with some unrequited Sora/Naminé. **

**Warnings: Hey, lookit there, it's some YURI, aka girl/girl love. And some het too, oh my! Seriously though, no flaming, mkay guys? And angst, etc, etc. It's me, and this story is in-game. If you expect anything other than angst from me under these conditions, I'll be surprised. **

**Dedication: To Ghostwriter, because it was through her influence that I even thought of shipping Olette/Namine in the first place. And also to Fruity-Fruit-Cups, because she is the first person (outside of Ghostwriter and Lauren, but you two almost don't count at this point, seeing as we're all almost the same person) I've met who ships this pairing. And thanks also for actually knowing who Prince Phillip is. Anyway, so here's to the both of you, and to anyone else who thinks that there needs to be more yuri/femmeslash in the world. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, and I think it should be obvious that I never have. Oh, the things I would have done…but anyway, it all belongs to Square Enix and Disney, the lucky bastards.**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Curiosity_

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><p>If DiZ could have had his way about absolutely everything, he would have preferred Naminé to spend her every waking moment, and then forgo hours of sleep, to work on 'fixing' Sora's memory. Fixing. As if all she was doing was picking up a few scattered puzzle pieces, and then just plopping them back into place, there, the problem's all solved.<p>

Sure, Naminé supposed that one could liken her work to that of a puzzle. But it was a puzzle of infinite complexity and layers, the pieces miniscule, and there tens of thousands, millions, of them. It was incredible, really, how rich and abundant they were, these memories that Sora had accumulated in a mere fourteen years of life.

And this was all under the apparent assumption that Naminé had all of the pieces of his memory. Which she didn't. Some of them seemed to have retreated to the deepest recesses of his mind, and still others…it was as if they were drifting away, being carried along in some kind of current. And Naminé was afraid that she knew exactly where they were going. But she didn't dare to bring it up. Not yet. Maybe it wouldn't matter. She could hope, anyway.

The point, though, is that DiZ was not having his way about absolutely everything, and Naminé was most certainly not spending every possible moment 'fixing' Sora.

It wasn't as if she was doing it this way just to spite DiZ. And she would keep her promise to Sora, to make this all right, even if it killed her. It was just…Naminé wondered if this was heartbreak, this ache that had taken up residence in her chest that shouldn't be there. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, maybe this was a spillover from the part of herself that was _Kairi_, the part that was connected to _Sora_, to _Somebodies_, but she felt _pain_, as she took apart the memories that she had—_lovingly_, yes, she admitted it—crafted, of her and Sora together, when he promised that _she_ was the only thing that mattered to him, when she had never meant anything to anyone…

Yes, it hurt very much, to have to break apart the chains, to cast herself deep into the shadows of the only heart that had ever cared for her.

And so when the mansion became to stifling for her to bear anymore, when the pain started to make her want to claw at her empty chest, she slipped out into Twilight Town.

Today, she had dared to open a portal to the beach. The faint sound of the ocean had been a background lullaby since she came here, but she had never seen it before. She wanted to see it, just once.

As she watched the waves, the two boys playing amongst them, laughing, smiles flashing like the sun, Naminé felt lonely once again, like she was back at square one. As if she had never even left Castle Oblivion.

The sound of shifting footsteps in the sand behind her made her tense, afraid that it was Riku, there to drag her back to the mansion. But when her frightened eyes darted up, it was to see a brunette girl holding three watermelons; Naminé recognized her as a local.

The girl's eyes were green like Axel's, but a warm shade that his had never been able to achieve. "Oh! I'm sorry for scaring you like that. Are you new around here? My name's Olette. What's yours?"

Naminé was silent, staring at—Olette. No one had ever asked for her name before.

"It's Naminé."


	2. Friendship

**A/N: FUCKING FINALLY! JESUS MOTHER OF CHRIST, IT FINALLY LET ME UPLOAD THIS SUCKER!**

**Ahem. I've been having a ghastly amount of trouble uploading this, as ffnet wouldn't let me upload _anything at all, _but now I've finally succeeded! Yes! Anyway. Let's continue on at last, shall we?**

**As you will see, all of these themes are going to be continued and come together to form one story. And I'm absolutely blown away by all of the positive feedback I've been getting on this story. Thank you guys so, so, so much for leaving such wonderful reviews, and for favoriting and alerting this. I can only hope this continues to meet your expectations. But really, this couple has a special place in my heart, and just…thank you. **

**Pairings: Olette/Naminé (building slowly, but it's going to get there), and unrequited Sora/Naminé (because **_**really**_**, how can I not? The only possible time Naminé could have met Olette in canon is the time in her life that Sora is still being a huge influence, if he ever stopped)**

**Warnings: Ahoy there, yuri lovers! You might want to dock in these waters! As for the haters, ye be warned! ;) And be wary of Naminé being a tad depressing, in my opinion.**

**Dedication: Still to Ghostwriter and Fruity-Fruit-Cups, and to all yuri lovers. However, I should mention here that the Olette/Naminé pairing in general is dedicated to my sister Lys and her girlfriend Clyde, for being my ultimate inspiration when it comes to writing this couple. I love you all. :) **

**Disclaimer: And Kingdom Hearts has still not become mine in the time it's been since I last typed out one of these. Boo. And since that's ruining my life, who wants to do something fun? Do you all want to go to Taco Bell?**

…**I think I'm losing my mind. Anyway. Onwards you go!**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Friendship_

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><p>"That's a pretty name."<p>

Naminé was silent for another moment, mentally consulting the only guide to socializing she had—Sora's memories. Only very rarely had she ever been complimented for anything—her drawings once or twice—but never for something like her _name_.

"…Thank you." She really had been spending too much time around the Organization and people like them, DiZ and Riku included. The kind of people that saw subtext in every inhale and exhale of your breathing, who envisioned veils of subterfuge and ulterior motives in your eyes. It seemed to Naminé that it was a panicky and paranoid existence, and now it was rubbing off on her. This girl, Olette…she couldn't possibly have a scheming, ulterior motive. She was hardly like most of the people that Naminé had known in her scant time of existence. Her heart wasn't pure by any means, but neither was it tainted or missing.

…It was like how Sora's still managed to be, despite its exposure to everything this girl hadn't been to.

After being lost in thought, Naminé became aware of the fact that Olette was still standing there, still holding her pieces of watermelon, pink drops of juice slipping from beneath her fingers to drip onto the sand beneath her bare feet. Olette was regarding her with solemn eyes, watching her mire through thoughts of social conventions. There was perhaps a hint of confusion about the obvious awkwardness Naminé was displaying—like she was watching a child learn how to ride a bike for the first time. But there was no condescension in those eyes; only warmth, like the sun-soaked summer grass that peeked around the trunks of the palm trees of Destiny Islands.

"…I think your name is pretty, too," Naminé offered up at last. And for once, she didn't feel the inclination to fidget, to sift her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture. The scrutiny of this girl didn't make her feel uncomfortable, as she had under Marluxia's or any of the other Organization members. Even Axel, whose stare sometimes became hard and cold, piercing in its intensity. From Olette though, it felt like…like…

"Thank you." Olette's smile was as open as everything seemed to be about her, warm and soft like a summer breeze. Naminé decided that the summer season suited Olette quite well. Affinity with the hearts of Kairi and Sora had gifted her with the knack of feeling the hearts of those around her, and Olette was all warmth, like melting chocolate. Winter wouldn't do at all to describe her, not with its bitter cold and biting winds, nor would the shifting moods of autumn, or even spring that still had the bite of winter in the back of its throat.

"Hey, would you like to come and hang out with us?" She waved a watermelon-occupied hand in a casual motion towards the ocean, indicating the two boys Naminé had seen earlier; the blond one had picked up a beach towel and was scrubbing it through his wet hair, apparently unconcerned that it was coated with sand. "We used the money we had left to get these watermelons…" Of which there were only three, Naminé noted, and with her that would make four. "…But I wouldn't mind sharing with you."

Naminé blinked at that, even more surprised than she had been earlier. "You would do that?" she blurted. But she couldn't help it. DiZ loved shoving it down her throat that to be a Nobody was to be selfish.

"Of course." Olette smiled again. "That's what friends do."

…It felt like acceptance.


	3. Pity

**A/N: So, two things are happening. First, classes for my third year of college starts tomorrow, Thursday. Second, I'm going to go see The Lion King in 3D tonight. In, like, 2 hrs. So, since I do have the next chapter ready to go, I figured that I'd be nice and give it to you now instead of making you guys wait until the weekend. Yay? Okay, we're cool. Oh, and I'm sorry that I haven't really replied to the most recent slew of reviews, but I have read them and I love them and I LOVE YOU ALL FOR WRITING THEM. :) Also, if I haven't replied to your PM yet, expect me to do so this weekend. **

**Pairings: Olette/Namine and unrequited Sora/Namine. **

**Warnings: How do I make this plainer, because apparently it hasn't been clear in the past two chapters. This story contains yuri, aka lesbians, aka girl/girl love. Do you see that? Let's make sure. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. _YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI. YURI._ THIS STORY WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE YURI IN IT. THIS STORY FEATURES A YURI PAIRING. DO YOU SEE IT YET. DO YOU SEE THAT WORD: YURI. Oh, and a few implications and mentionings of abuse. **

**Now. If I can make this point any more clear to you, please let me know. Otherwise, please don't say that I haven't sufficiently warned you. Because...well, I thought it was made clear. But I guess not. Hopefully though, this will spell it out for it.**

_**YURI IS IN THIS HOUSE. **_**:)**

**Dedications: Ghostwriter, Fruity-Fruit-Cups, Lys and Clyde, and to all of the minority of yuri lovers. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. And by the end of the night, I might not be in possession of my own soul either, because it may very well die from the _epicness _of seeing The Lion King in 3D.**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Pity_

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><p>For one second, Naminé teetered on the brink of temptation. Would it <em>really<em> be so bad, to follow this girl, hands sticky with watermelon juice, to her friends? To just…_hang out_, in Olette's words, but for Naminé it would have been so much more than that.

She had only observed this phenomenon from afar, as a specter in Sora's memories. But this, she was sure, would almost be like being normal. She could pretend, just for a moment, that life was simple enough that she could follow Olette, could pretend that it was possible for her to have…friends. Naminé had never had a friend before, not really.

She allowed herself a single moment to breathe in this daydream, and it tasted like salty sea air on her tongue.

But then she felt the _eyes_ upon her. _His_ eyes. She didn't need to turn around to know that he was standing there, watching her, black-hooded trench coat casting an impenetrable shadow over his face, but also making him stick out like a dour rain cloud on this sunny beach, yellow, orange, and turquoise blue hues bleeding from the sand into the sea and sky around him.

"I…can't. I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

Olette's eyes didn't miss Naminé's slim and fragile body stiffening with sudden tension, and her eyes had quickly darted over the top of her light blonde head to see the dark figure glaring a hole between the girl's shoulders.

"Um…do you know that guy?" Olette shifted in slight awkwardness, bare toes digging and wiggling in the sand. Naminé couldn't bring herself to look into Olette's eyes anymore, and so she trained her gaze downward, watching their movement. There were a few scattered drops of juice staining the tops of the tanned skin.

"…Yes." There really was no use in lying about it. Why else would he be standing there, a bite of impatience in his glare now?

Olette was quiet for a moment, searching the face now hidden by a curtain of blonde hair that had fallen from where it had been tucked behind her ear. "…Is he your boyfriend?"

Naminé's head snapped up at that. She couldn't help it. _Him_? Her _what_?

Olette's face seemed to become a bit more grim, a bit more solemn as she took in Naminé's wide eyes. "…Does he hurt you?"

Naminé couldn't believe this was happening. Olette seemed to be under the impression that she was being _abused_. By a boyfriend. Well, it really wasn't all that far from the truth. She _was _being abused, by DiZ most certainly, and she herself was gouging at the empty space where her heart should have been, torturing herself over Sora's memories and what she couldn't ever have…

"_Naminé_." The command was quiet, but it was sharp enough to cut across the distance between them.

"I…have to go." Naminé hopped to her feet, avoiding those warm green eyes, and the concern that she could practically feel leaking out of the other girl.

She only got about a foot away before Olette's voice stopped her. "I'll see you again soon, okay?"

Naminé looked back over her shoulder. Olette's hands were stained almost completely pink. And Naminé smiled at her, hoping that she'd be able to read all that she couldn't say at the moment.

Naminé could still feel Olette's eyes on her back as she fell into step with Riku; like feeling the warmth of the sun from behind a cloud.

"He's angry with you," Riku murmured. His hidden aqua eyes were probing, questioning.

Naminé didn't know the answer to the question.


	4. Lust

**A/N: The Lion King in 3D was indeed epic beyond belief. But for now, you're getting a new update. Expect the next one by the end of this coming week, at the latest. Because tomorrow, Monday, starts my first _real _week of classes, complete with such things like _homework_. Fun fun, right?**

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, unrequited Sora/Namine, and implied Sora/Kairi, Sora/Riku, and Axel/Roxas. Yes, yes, I know, but you will see what I mean. But this time around it's just a small, easily ignored, hint, okay? But then, if you're reading this story, I can't see why slash/yaoi would bother you all that much. **

**Warnings: *glances down at the prompt* Hmm. 'Lust'. In a story about yuri/girl love, there's a prompt called 'lust'. ... Do I really have to spell this out for you? Expect to see a _little _bit of action, but it's not going to be as much as you might think. After all, I am trying to keep these girls in-character, and as close to canon as possible. Oh, and there's something about fantasies down there. Poor Namine. Also, there's something like a plot going on. **

**Dedications: To Ghostwriter, Fruity-Fruit-Cups (you're going to be dedicated every chapter, you know. The entire story is dedicated to you), Lys, and Clyde. And thanks for all of the lovely reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, certain potential fantasies involving certain characters mentioned below would have happened quite differently...**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Lust_

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><p>DiZ was indeed furious with her, but the better question to ask would be when he was not angry or frustrated with her in some way. In his eyes, she would forever be inefficient and lazy, a good-for-nothing Nobody.<p>

Naminé could very well read the contempt that he didn't even bother to conceal in his glaring, orange eyes.

But Naminé had more issues to worry about at the moment than DiZ and his perpetual temper tantrum.

The first of which was that she had discovered that she had been only too right in knowing where Sora's memories were being siphoned off to.

Naminé didn't really know Roxas at all; she had definitely never met him in person. But he was connected to Sora, and thus if she traveled far enough along the strained link between the two of them she would eventually touch onto Roxas. And it was to _him_ that the memories were drifting. And that was really _bad_, because once the memories settled into Roxas's mind, she couldn't tug them back to fix Sora; Roxas was too far away, his mind too alien for her to navigate.

That was problem one. Problem two was that she had stumbled upon a group of Sora's memories, tumbled about in a corner like a toppled tower of blocks. Memories she'd never really explored before, too afraid to do so under Marluxia.

Fantasies, Naminé supposed you would call them. Fantasies created by the accelerated flush of hormones into a teenager's body.

Kissing. Fragments of thoughts about sex itself, until Sora's mind had apparently ground to a halt, not daring enough to venture farther into unknown territories; trains of thought that he had been too preoccupied to pick up later to explore.

Naminé's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Hence why she had immediately headed out into Twilight Town, even going so far as to let a few of her colored pencils scatter and roll off of the table, falling to the floor underneath it. But she figured that a walk would help clear her mind from being almost overwhelmed by the hitherto unexpected emotions.

It didn't help that the two compounded into a third problem. Making contact with Roxas's mind and unearthing these memories of Sora's didn't make a good combination. And Naminé knew enough about the mind to know how capable it was at taking a thought and mutating it seemingly beyond your control. Images of Kairi (talk about awkward) melded into images of Riku (double awkward), furthering mingling with Roxas's memories, predominately featuring _Axel_ of all people, even if he didn't necessarily think of his fellow Nobody in _that_ way, it still all compacted in Naminé's mind, and she was overwhelmed, never having thought of these kinds of…_actions_ before.

She loved Sora. But she had never dared to think, or even had the possibility cross her mind, of _kissing_ him, or beyond that…

No. That line of thinking led to more heartbreak.

And these thoughts _wouldn't get out of her head._

Naminé stopped in an alleyway, slumping against the wall, fighting the urge to bang against it, to just let go and _scream_ for once in her life.

"Naminé?"

She wanted them to _stop_…

Olette ventured farther into the alley, eyes examining her appearance, as if looking for bruises.

"Are you okay?"

_No_, she wanted to reply vehemently.

Naminé instead slumped a little further down the wall. Olette was standing so close to her now, waiting for a reply, eyes so, so green…

Her brain didn't give her time to catch up before she had pressed her lips to the other girl's.


	5. Happiness

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter that I've written so far. I really, really love it, and I hope you all enjoy it as well.**

**As for a note on scheduling, I have the next chapter of this story written, but not the last 5 prompts. This has several reasons behind it. First, I can really only work on a story for so long before I need to take a step back and give myself some breathing room from it. Second, because my textbooks all ended up coming in late, and thus I already have to catch up in my class readings. Thus, my time has become limited. Third, school in general prompts a bit of dismotivation in me, so there you go. And fourthly, because there _may _be a bit of coordination happening between this story and an in-universe Kairi/Xion piece that Fruity-Fruit-Cups is writing. Since _Watercolor in the Rain _is taking place in the canon timeline (yes, complete with canon ending, tragically enough...one of the genres is angst for a reason, you know), for those of you that know Days, you would be able to correctly guess that Very Soon Now, Namine is going to be finding out about Xion, and how she comes to start absorbing Sora's memories into herself (most notably memories of Kairi), through Roxas, and how this obviously has a negative impact on what Namine is trying to accomplish. The _point,_ though, is that there _might _be some overlap between Fruity's story and in a couple of the upcoming, unwritten as of yet, chapters of this story (most probably being the chapters featuring the prompts of "Rage" and "Lost", numbers 7 and 8). Therefore, I am going to abstain in writing the next couple of chapters until she has more of her story written (I myself have only read a snippet of it). Again, this may or may not happen. We shall see when the time comes.**

**And that's a very long paragraph basically telling you that my current focus is now going to be shifted onto trying to complete as much of _Mangoes and Limes _as I can. The next chapter of this story is going to be posted next weekend. But if you need your Olette/Namine fix right this very moment, then fear not! Namette is in fact a pairing that I first started shipping because of AEM...in other words, it's one of the AEM pairings, so it'll probably end up showing up in _Mangoes and Limes _as well. And...I think that's it. **

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, and unrequited Sora/Namine. Other implications will be reviewed in the next chapter.**

**Warnings: Hopefully you've picked up by now that this story is about a yuri couple. And for all those who may have been shocked on the kiss the last chapter ended with, have no fear! That's all you're getting for a good long while. And I believe the angst is temporarily beaten away in this chapter. It'll be resumed in full force in the next chapter (and if you know the prompt, then you'll know why it had to be so), but for now, let's just bask in the fluff, shall we?**

**Dedications: Ghostwriter and Fruity-Fruit-Cups. And an even MORE SPECIAL shout-out to my sister Lys and her girlfriend Clyde, who have just celebrated their one-year anniversary! YAY FOR YOU TWO, AND I LOVE YOU BOTH, AS ALWAYS! MAY YOU STICK WITH THIS FAMILY FOR MANY MORE YEARS, CLYDE! ^_^ (i'm stuck with you, lys, no matter what. *heart*)**

**Disclaimer: Yes, yes, yes, I get the picture by now. I own zilch of Kingdom Hearts. Things would have been mighty different if I had been in charge. Namely, Maleficent would journey about elegantly eating people in dragon form, and Prince Phillip would have been a _permanent _partner. All except for the story of Re:Chain of Memories. _That _was absolute perfection the way it was. The card battle system would have been booted out the door, though.**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Happiness_

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><p>Naminé hadn't closed her eyes when she had closed the distance between her lips and Olette's, and now she was staring right into the other girl's startled green eyes. Even though their lips were touching, it wasn't a <em>real<em> kiss, with the two of them just standing there, not breathing. They just existed for a few seconds, while Olette's brain was probably trying to comprehend what was happening, and Naminé's brain attempted to catch up to scream some common sense into her.

Naminé was the first to regain her senses; she viciously beat down the unruly memories running rampant in her mind, and with a slight exhale of shuddering breath to get her mind back under her control, she stepped back, breaking contact with Olette.

Olette seemed to remember only then that she needed to breathe, shakily sucking air into her throat. Her eyes were still wide and staring, and Naminé almost panicked, wondering if her powers would have a hitherto unknown side effect on those she became…intimate with in any way. A quick scan calmed Naminé back down; she had picked up no stowaway memories.

"…That was bad. I'm sorry," Naminé whispered, dimly noting that this was the first time she had initiated communication with anyone.

"I…um, well…" The event seemed to be finally registering to Olette, for a faint blush was rising in her cheeks. She shook her head, possibly in an attempt to clear it, the motion flipping her feathered layers of brunette hair. "Look, don't worry about it, okay? I'm…not mad or anything."

Naminé stared at her, pale blue eyes widening in disbelief.

"I'm really not mad," Olette insisted. "You just…I didn't expect you to do that, is all."

"I still shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry." Naminé couldn't contain her bitter smile. That just seemed to be the way she was, screwing with other people and then hoping a simple apology would be enough to make it all better, even if she knew it wouldn't really.

"Then why did you do it?" Naminé flinched at question, aimed right at the wealth of knowledge that she couldn't, under any circumstances, share. "And you still look upset about something."

Naminé ducked her head and let her hair fall forward to hide her face, avoiding those eyes that were looking at her with nothing but gentle warmth and kindness. She wanted to sink into the ground and fade away; she didn't deserve the concern of people like Sora and Olette. And she had already lost Sora's.

"I…can't tell you."

"Sure you can. I promise I'll listen," Olette encouraged.

"No, I really can't." Naminé tugged through a few strands of her hair in agitation. "It's…complicated."

"Is it your boyfriend?"

A breath that sounded almost amused escaped Naminé.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh. Well…that's good, then."

Olette was quiet for a moment. Naminé waited for her to leave—just like Sora.

"Do you know what I think your problem is?" Olette asked finally.

Naminé peeked at her from behind her curtain of hair, curious despite herself.

Taking this to be a sign to go on, Olette continued. "I think you don't know how to let yourself be happy."

Naminé considered this observation. It wasn't far from the truth.

"…You know," Olette said, leaning against the wall beside her. "It's completely normal for people to want to…experiment."

Naminé stared at her, at a loss for words.

"That was my first kiss," was what ended up coming out of her mouth.

Olette turned her head to meet Naminé's eyes. "It was mine too," she said, grinning.

And Naminé tentatively smiled back.


	6. Despair

**A/N: So yaaaaaaaaay, I've actually finished writing this whole story! All that's left is to post the remaining chapters, and do a final edit as I go! :) So expect weekly updates on this. **

**Warnings: Light yuri, obviously. And just to clarify for the implications of AkuRoku: Roxas doesn't necessarily regard Axel in a romantic light. It's just that his memories are getting mixed up in the slush that is the rest of what's going on in Namine's brain. So, interpret it as you will, but I'm leaving it more open-ended on purpose, so if you _don't_ want to see the AkuRoku, you don't have to. Okay? Okay. Also, there be angst. **

**Dedications: To Lys and Fruity, and Ghostwriter for being the catalyst to me discovering this wonderful pairing. This story is always for you. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the actual writing and interpretations. Kingdom Hearts belong to Square Enix., and the challenge itself to Wishing-Fire.**

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><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Despair_

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><p>"We've gone about this out of order though, you know," Olette said, squinting up at the sun as it reached its zenith.<p>

"What?" Naminé asked. Her mind still wasn't fully under her control; she tried to distract herself from those _thoughts _by noticing the exact way the sun shone on the other girl's brunette hair, highlighting the barest tint of red in the wavy strands. Which, of course, really didn't end up helping at all, especially since Olette chose that moment to turn those green eyes of hers back onto Naminé.

"I think you're supposed to take someone out on a date before you kiss them."

Naminé vaguely identified the tone in Olette's voice as _teasing _(everyone Sora had known seemed to do that to him a lot), but she didn't dwell on that, and was instead busily flipping as quick as she could through her mental catalogue, trying to find a definition for the word _date_ that would fit Olette's context. Distressingly, it seemed to be something that Sora had hardly dwelled on at all, apart from a few outlier thoughts that indicated that it was to be feared. Olette, who had apparently been watching her closely, started to speak again.

"You know, like going out to dinner, or seeing a movie, getting ice cream. Something like that."

"Oh." The memories in Naminé's mind swirled, flickering like a little picture slideshow. "…Like watching the sunset?"

"Sure." Naminé nodded absentmindedly, half of her concentration on Olette, and the other half watching a memory of a very different pair of green eyes glowing in a backdrop of fading light. "Or you could watch the sunrise, stargaze…look at clouds…whatever you want to do, to have fun."

"…And that's it? That's all you do on dates?"

"Well, since we're really talking about first dates in this case, you would also get to know each other. Ask each other questions."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Olette gave her a long look. "You know what? Let's practice. Okay, I would ask you something, like…where are you from, Naminé?"

Naminé supposed that it was the memories that made the answer rise to her lips. The memories that she had taken with her when she had left the mansion in such a hurry, the memories that she hadn't yet been able to compartmentalize and re-link into Sora's mind, and were thus simmering inside of her. And so it was like she was standing outside of herself, and watching someone else's lips forming the words:

"Destiny Islands."

And she wished she could have taken those two words back as soon as she said them. Because they were all it took to bring reality crashing back down onto her, to make her realize that she was just building herself a fantasy…yet again. Was this, Naminé wondered, what her life was doomed to be? To live in card houses constructed out of lies, and just waiting for the stacks to come crashing down on top of her head?

Because Naminé, of course, had never been to Destiny Islands. All she had were someone else's memories of the place.

"You're doing it again."

Naminé refocused her attention onto Olette to see that the sparkle of happiness in her green eyes was gone, replaced once again by solemnity.

"You're not letting yourself be happy." The reappearance of her warm smile invited confidence. Seeking what Naminé couldn't give.

"You're right," said Naminé quietly. "I'm not."

And she turned and walked away, before she gave into the temptation of that sunny smile, Riku's soft footsteps on the rooftops above accompanying her back towards the mansion.


	7. Rage

**A/N: Soooo, here's the next chapter! Don't really have much to say here. :)**

**Warnings: Light yuri, canon quotations**

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, unrequited Sora/Namine**

**Dedications: To Lys, Ghostwriter, and Fruity, this story is all for you guys. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing is owned.**

* * *

><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Rage_

* * *

><p>But she didn't get very far as, not for the first time, Naminé had underestimated a Somebody.<p>

"You know what, that's enough!"

Olette wasn't shouting, was barely even raising her voice at all. Sora hadn't been, either, when he had declared to Larxene that he had made a promise, a _real_ promise, and he was going to keep it. But they both had the same quiet vehemence in their voices. Maybe that was another Somebody thing that she couldn't really hope to understand, shouting without shouting, shouting only because they _meant_ the words they were saying so very sincerely. You needed a heart to _mean_ things like that, Naminé figured.

"Naminé." And _oh_, no one had _ever_ said her name like that before, gently caressing the syllables before they were released, oh so softly, from tongue to lips to open air. Not even Sora. "I'm sorry, and I know that we really don't know each other that well. But I just…I _can't_ let you walk away from me. Not like this. Not knowing that—that you're in so much _pain_, not without trying to do something to help you. And—and I feel like I _can_ help you. I don't know why, or how, but if you'd just let me in—well, I could try, at least. Naminé, could you please look at me?"

Her name again, and why did Olette have to give it such meaning that it had never had before?

She was acutely aware of Riku's lingering presence, his footsteps having not continued on over the rooftops to the mansion. Naminé slowly turned around anyway, drawing on her reserves of courage—the ones that she had needed to turn to face a very different pair of eyes, so painfully blue—to look into eyes that now seemed to her to be painfully green and—_still_—warm.

She almost wished that she could curse them both, Sora and Olette, for being so _earnest_ when they looked at her, for making her want to give back to them, anything to repay what they would so freely give to her.

"Look, now I _really_ know that you're not letting yourself be happy. And maybe I don't understand anything that's going on with you. But, Naminé, I _know_ that you deserve to be happy. You _do_."

Those warm eyes made such a contrast to the cold that seemed to eclipse Naminé, making her speak through numb lips. "You don't know anything. You don't know _me_."

Olette shook her head, and it looked like the sun had suddenly decided to shine brighter in her feathered hair, and something had to be making those green eyes blaze with even more intensity. And Naminé quietly panicked to herself when she recognized that determined glint in the girl's eyes, and they might as well have been blue, for all the similarity she had to Sora in that moment.

"That doesn't matter."

_So just do it! Erase my memories, destroy my heart! I promised, I would always protect you! You have to believe me!_

"I don't even have to know you, to know if you're a good person, or if you deserve happiness. You are, and you do. I can _feel_ it."

_I don't need any memories to take on someone like Marluxia. _

"And hey, for the record, you up there! Creeper on the roof!"

Two pairs of blue eyes were startled.

Olette rolled her eyes. "I'm not completely oblivious, thanks. I don't know who you are, but I'd appreciate if you could give us some privacy."

And probably to general astonishment, Riku left.


	8. Lost

**A/N: Ehehehe...I kind of forgot about updating this and MaL last week, so...sorry about that? Anyway, I'm stunned and blown away by the responses that this story continues to get, so thanks a million, you guys. :D This chapter is...not my favorite, but meh. I'm probably just being mean to it because it was mean to me while I was writing it. ;)**

**Warnings: More canon allusions and quotations...though really, I like to think that this story could fit within the fabric of canon (that's why my brain was so insistent about a certain detail, which I'll talk about at the end...), but in the end, that's just me. **

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, and unrequited Sora/Namine. **

**Dedications: Lys, Ghostwriter, and Fruity. Still. XD**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1. I own nothing but my own ideas.**

* * *

><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Lost_

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><p>Naminé felt as if she had accidentally stumbled into some kind of waking dream, one that bordered on the edges of being a nightmare. Or else maybe her powers had grown in some unprecedented way—perhaps she had lost control of them, or they had consumed her somehow, and now she was lost in a delusional swirl of memories that didn't belong to her.<p>

Before, with determination alight in her eyes, Olette had struck an uncanny resemblance to Sora. Now, she reminded Naminé of another person with green eyes (colder, though—those other eyes had been so much colder) who had pointed and guided her onto a path when all had seemed lost.

It was seriously unsettling.

_So then. If you don't stop this, no one will._

Naminé shuddered, and thrust Axel's voice from her mind. Olette paused briefly to look back over her shoulder in concern, but she continued walking, Naminé's hand still firmly in her grasp, and her feet confident of the way towards her destination. Naminé supposed that it was the kind of confidence one could only have in a place that they've lived all of their life, a place whose twists and turns they knew like the back of their own hand. That same sort of confident familiarity had always radiating through Sora's memories of Destiny Islands; Naminé couldn't help but being slightly envious. She had never known a place like that. Just different prisons.

Olette's hand tightened around hers as she pulled her up a set of stairs and into a building that Naminé had only ever seen from a distance before.

"The train station? Where are we going?"

"The beach," was Olette's reply. "I figured that it would be isolated enough for us to talk, but not completely out there, you know?"

"Riku could follow us out there if he wanted to."

Olette pursed her lips slightly. "Yeah, well, he'd have a harder time hiding and sneaking up on us out there." Naminé watched silently as Olette pulled a small drawstring bag out of her pocket with her other hand, and step up to the counter to buy their tickets.

She still didn't let go of Naminé's hand. Naminé wasn't quite sure of what to make of it, as hand-holding was not something really featured in Sora's memories all that much, and she could see how it was probably too intimate of a gesture for any of the members of Organization XIII to partake in, as she'd never seen the ones she'd known do it. Somehow, she really couldn't picture Marluxia or Larxene doing it, or even Axel.

"You really think a lot, you know?"

Naminé slowly raised her eyes from where she'd been contemplating their entwined hands, and looked fully into Olette's face.

"I really shouldn't be going along with you like this," she said softly.

"All right."

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore." Naminé hated the desperation that was at the edges of her voice.

"That's okay."

"It's happening again."

Olette tilted her head a little in question. "What is?"

"Something incredibly stupid."

Naminé cursed the way Olette's smile lit up those green eyes of hers. "Did you regret what you did last time?"

"What are you…saying?"

_Just that there's no one here who would want to get in your way_.

"That it's okay to let yourself have friends, and to let them be there for you."

Naminé started helplessly at her, the memories in her mind a kaleidoscopic blur.

"You coming?"

And Naminé nodded, steeling herself to take another risk at the behest of another pair of green eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>End AN: So, that thing that I mentioned up top, that detail that my brain insisted that I must address? Well, that thing was Olette's munny bag. See, I always found it odd, that it was replicated in the Virtual Twilight Town made for Roxas, because...that's a really intimate thing to know about someone, especially a person that you presumably only viewed from a distance? So, this is my explanation for why that bag was so perfectly replicated...and perhaps, you could see it as a hint for things to come. ;) **


	9. Laughter

**A/N: Hmm. Only two chapters to go after this, so things are starting to wrap up, and there's more encroaching angst. Remember that this is set in the canon verse, yeah? :)**

**Warnings: Light yuri, as always, and Namine finally cracking? References to stalking, and abuse, I suppose. **

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, unrequited Sora/Namine, and, if you choose to see it that way, Riku/Sora. **

**Dedications: Lys, Ghostwriter, and Fruity; Lys especially deserves some laughter in her life at the moment. **

**Disclaimer: If I had owned KH, things would have gone something like this fic, except without the depressing ending. And the challenge credit obviously goes to Wishing-Fire. **

* * *

><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Laughter_

* * *

><p>"Alright, so, first things first." Olette's tone became more business-like as they seated themselves on a secluded patch of sand (Olette had been a little worried about the fact that the dress Naminé was wearing wasn't, as she put it, "appropriate beach attire", but Naminé had assured her that she didn't mind, and in fact liked feeling the sand. She left it unsaid that the reason she liked it was because no memory could compare to the real thing, and she was sick of memories). "I've got to ask about that guy—the one who's basically stalking you?"<p>

"He's just concerned, that's all." Naminé trailed her fingers through the sand, feeling the coarse grains against the pads of her fingertips, tracing small circles. "He—he needs my help. So he's making sure that nothing happens to me."

"But he doesn't really care about _you_, right? He just wants to make sure he can get what he wants."

"That sounds selfish, when you say it like that."

"That's because it is selfish."

Naminé shrugged her shoulders delicately. "Maybe it is. But it's alright. I understand."

"I still don't." Olette's words were blunt, but she was still smiling, and her eyes still kind.

"It's…his friend. I'm helping make him whole again."

"What…" Olette didn't know how to finish her sentence. What's wrong with him, what happened to him. Naminé answered the unspoken words anyway, although she had to fight to get the words out in a voice above a whisper.

"Me. I'm what happened to him." Naminé felt the burn of tears that she couldn't shed, and she clenched her fingers in the sand. "I—I did the most horrible, awful thing to him."

"And now?" Olette's voice was quiet, only saying enough to prompt Naminé to keep speaking, but not to interrupt.

"I had to put him in a deep sleep, so that I could fix it—fix _him_."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? Whatever you did, at least you're trying to set it all right again."

"But it's not good enough!"

Naminé dimly realized that she was on her feet, and shouting for the first time in her life.

"You—you Somebodies. I can observe your memories for a thousand years and I'd never be able to understand you—any of you at all. You and Sora—all I ever seem to be able to do is to hurt everyone around me, but what, that's okay if I'm sorry enough, it's all okay if I just sweep up the mess? You both act like it's so easy to forgive and forget, but it _can't_ be that easy to forgive, and I'm the only one who will never, ever forget anything!"

Naminé wondered if actually being able to cry would make this burning worse or better.

Olette's eyes were solemn, but they were still somehow, impossibly, warm as ever. Like she had a sun trapped in those green depths.

"But everyone messes up, Naminé. That's what life is. Nobody's perfect." Naminé let out a bitter snort at that word. "What matters is that we all keep trying. Yeah, you did something bad, but you're _owning_ it as your mistake, and you're trying fix it. I don't think you get how hard that can be. Not a lot of people can do it, and I think you're amazing."

Naminé can't help the laughter that bubbles out of her throat, and as much of a surprise as it is, what surprises her more is that it isn't bitter in the slightest.

It's like a release, and almost like something's healing inside of her.


	10. Confused

**A/N: ...*ducks and hides* I hope that this is actually coherent to you all, that this chapter makes sense. If not, y'all know how to tell me about it! **

**Warnings: Light yuri (as in, two girl kisses), and...well, canon, remember? Also, a bit of speculation on my part, in regards to the scope of Namine's powers. **

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, unrequited Sora/Namine, possible sprinklings of my other shipping biases, but I don't really think so. XD**

**Dedications: Lys, Ghostwriter, and Fruity**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

* * *

><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Confused_

* * *

><p>Olette didn't say anything further until after Naminé had hiccupped herself into silence, surprisingly worn out by that bout of near-hysterical laughter. She returned to sitting next to Olette, and for several moments more they just let the silence exist comfortably between them. With the tang of salt on her tongue, and the sea air whipping at her hair, Naminé could close her eyes and imagine that she was actually sitting on a different beach, in Destiny Islands, with trees laden with the special star-shaped paopu fruit and thalassa shells washing up onto the sand.<p>

But when she opens her eyes and sees Twilight Town instead, it doesn't hurt as much as it used to.

"Is that guy—Riku—is his friend doing better now?"

Naminé winced slightly. "I really shouldn't have told you his name, or said anything. But…Sora…he's…yeah, he's doing better."

Olette scrutinized her. "I sense that there's a 'but' in there."

Naminé scooped up a handful of sand, and then let it fall from between her fingers again. "I don't know how to explain in a way to make you understand."

"You mean, you don't know how to explain using as little of the truth as possible."

Naminé sighed. "Yes, but it's more than that, too."

Olette was perceptive. "You know, but you're too afraid to let yourself understand."

Naminé ducked her chin in silent agreement. "Olette, I'm a witch."

Olette couldn't help her body from tensing reflexively, but her voice showed no sign of it. "What kind of a witch?"

"I have power over Sora's memories. And through him, over the memories of anyone his heart is connected to. But…I don't think that's the only scope of my power, though that's all I know for sure so far."

Olette wasn't running away in fear (yet), but Naminé still hated the new, subconscious wariness in her eyes.

"Before, I took apart the memories chained together in Sora's heart. And now, I'm putting them back, the way they were. But…his memories, they've been scattered, and now they're going somewhere else, into some_one_ else. I—I don't know how to get them back."

"You do, but you're scared of the answer," Olette corrected her quietly. Naminé hunched her shoulders under the weight of those words.

"You don't understand. The link—it's too faint, and—once the memories have settled, I'd have to take them back by force." Naminé looked into Olette's eyes to impart the full gravity of this. "I'd have to destroy another mind, another person. But—without the missing pieces of _himself_, Sora—he won't be able to wake up. I don't know what to _do_, Olette."

Naminé felt like crying again, and she looked back towards the ocean.

"Isn't there anyone who can help you?"

"No."

"So basically, in order to save Sora, you have to kill someone else."

Naminé hesitated. "Not—kill, exactly. But maybe what I'd have to do is worse than that."

She startled when arms suddenly came around her in a tight hug. Astonished blue eyes flitted back to stare at Olette.

"I can't help you, or make any of this easier. But I can do this much."

The urge to cry was worse than ever.

"I can't remember any of this, can I?" Olette really was perceptive. Naminé's lips trembled. Olette pressed her own lips to them, to stop the trembling. "It's okay. I give you my permission. I'm really glad I got to meet you, though, Naminé."

Naminé pressed their lips back together one last time, and traveling along her own pathway for the first time—instead of through Sora—she extracted the memories she needed from Olette's mind.

A single tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm not," she whispered to the now-unconscious girl.


	11. Gift

**A/N: Alright, here it is everyone! Last chapter of this story. This ending is one that I've had planned since basically when I started this story, because this last prompt was the author's choice. However, this may not be the last you see of this verse, or hear mentions and references to the events in this fic. It's basically become my headcanon for Olette/Namine, and so it'll probably pop up again, even if there's never a direct sequel. But, who can say what the future holds, right? Anyway, a million thanks to all of you, for all the support that this story has gotten. It's truly been a pleasure writing it and writing about this couple, and I'm thankful that I've gotten to share that with y'all. And I hope you've all had a fun ride. :)**

**Warnings: Light yuri, canon events, DiZ being an abusive asshole, Ansem!Riku, and the beginning of Roxas's mindrape. (I tend to shine a harsher light than most on the events in the KH2 Prologue, in case you couldn't tell. *shrugs*)**

**Pairings: Olette/Namine, unrequited Sora/Namine, and I suppose Namine/Riku and Namine/Roxas can be seen with shipping goggles. Heaven knows I can hardly to talk when it comes to shipping. **

**Dedications: Ghostwriter, Lys, and Fruity, because I'm proud to know all three of them. **

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

* * *

><p><span>Watercolor in the Rain<span>

_Gift_

* * *

><p>Naminé had stayed away, up in the room in the mansion that she'd claimed as her own, while Riku and DiZ worked to subdue Roxas and contain him.<p>

She stared blankly around at the white walls surrounding her. She normally didn't pay them much heed, as she was usually too focused on her drawings—or had been getting out of the mansion itself in those few blessed days; but now she doesn't dare to go—but now she's thinking that this room is too depressingly similar to Castle Oblivion. Perhaps she could hang up a few of her pictures, to give it at least a few splashes of color.

A knock heralds Riku's entrance as he pushes the door open. Naminé blinks up—and then _up_—at him, in surprise. "You're taller."

His shoulders hunch in defensiveness, but otherwise Riku ignores her. "It's time." His voice is different too, much deeper—an adult's voice, not that of a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Riku—"

But she doesn't get any farther than that, because DiZ comes up behind Riku then, orange eyes glaring hard and unforgiving at her. Business as usual. "Naminé. You must make haste. Attend to…_Roxas_." There's a lilting sneer in the way that he says the name of Sora's Nobody. "He's going to need a new personality and memories and such things to keep him docile while you finish chaining together Sora's memory."

"I know," said Naminé quietly. She doesn't look him in the eyes, and instead stares into another corner of the room—anywhere he wasn't. She didn't particularly want him to read in her eyes her disgust for his callousness in the current situation.

He narrows his eyes angrily at her. "Be sure to not get too…_attached_." His eyes glow a darker orange as he huffs a deep breath of laughter. "Not that _Nobodies_ can feel anything, of course."

Naminé has to resist the urge to clench her fists, and the sharp glint of his amusement follows her out the door.

Dread makes her footsteps slow as she nears the computer room, and she hovers before she settles herself into the chair in front of the screens. As it is, she sits on the edge of her seat, not letting herself relax into the back. What she was going to do next would be the dirtiest of work, and there's no need for her to be comfortable. Roxas certainly wasn't going to be.

Even still unconscious, his mind is prickly and thorny, and is radiating his rage, fury, and an underlying grief and fear. It's a noxious mixture, and Naminé _hates_ that it's come to this.

"Roxas, I'm so sorry," she whispers. "You probably wouldn't accept that, and it doesn't make this better, but—I am."

Naminé makes sure her breathing is calm, regular, and even as she contemplates the task ahead of her. DiZ had decided that it would be easiest to keep Roxas in a data world—this would make it harder for the Organization to locate him and they would be able to control his environment, and thus, Roxas himself.

Naminé, therefore, must extract the giant ball of memories that Roxas has absorbed and accumulated from Sora, and in return, give him new memories of a false life, so as to keep him "out of trouble" (in DiZ's words). The only stipulation is that Roxas's simulated world had to be of Twilight Town.

Naminé thought of eyes, green like the summer grass of Destiny Islands.

_Yes_, she thought, fingers starting to tap at the keyboard. She could give Roxas this kindness, a friend, at least.


End file.
